Croatian intelligence community
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The Croatian intelligence community consists of various intelligence agencies responsible for foreign intelligence gathering, military intelligence, counterintelligence and internal security in Croatia. The community of intelligence agencies, military and civilian, was established by Croatia during the Croatian war of independence against the former Yugoslavia, becoming integral to the Croatian war effort against Yugoslav and Serbian forces.[1] The modern network was constituted after the end of the war in 1995. The 12 agencies are administered by the office of the President of Croatia and the ministries of defense and the interior.[2]
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[edit] Governance
The Croatian intelligence community is administered directly under the office of the president of Croatia, who maintains full executive responsibility and oversight. However, the Croatian Parliament's Standing Committee for Internal and Foreign Affairs also maintains oversight powers to ensure that all intelligence agencies operate within the national law. It is chaired by the deputy prime minister and consists of the ministers of defense, interior, justice, foreign affairs, European integration and finance. It may launch its own reviews of all ministries and agencies with a national security brief. The committee also approves the regulations of the Joint National Security Committee, which serves as the country's political oversight council. The committee does not have any official capacity to review presidential appointments within the intelligence community and has no budgetary approval. The Intelligence Community Coordination Committee constitutes the heads of all intelligence agencies and is responsible for joint planning, co-ordinating intelligence work and maintaining co-operation between services.[1]
Formally organized by the National Security Office Act of 1995, the Ured Za Nacionalnu Sigurnost (National Security Office) had existed from 1993 as the lead intelligence agency - its director chairs the Joint National Security Committee and preserves overall control of all Croatian intelligence agencies and is responsible directly to the president of Croatia.[1][2]
[edit] Domestic intelligence
The responsibilities for internal security and counterintelligence lie with the Croatian interior ministry. In addition to maintaining control of the nation's police forces, the interior ministry maintains the Sluzba Za Zastitu Ustavnog Poretka (Service for the Protection of the Constitutional Order - SZUP), which for a time was the country's main agency for both internal and foreign intelligence. Following the reorganization of the intelligence community, the SZUP became solely responsible for domestic intelligence and maintains departments responsible for counterintelligence, monitoring political violence and the Balkan Muslim and Serb communities and nations, with whom the Croats had fought against.[1]
[edit] Military intelligence
- See also: Military of Croatia
The Croatian military and the defense ministry took a lead in intelligence gathering during the war of independence. The defense ministry established the Sigurnosno Izvestajna Sluzba (Security Information Service - SIS) in 1991 under its direct control. It was initially politicized, supporting the ruling HDZ party and its control over the military. The SIS was restructured and de-politicized after the end of the war, diversifying its operations and departments to include the Croatian Navy and the Croatian Air Force, counterintelligence, criminal investigations and security for Croatia's military leaders. Although responsible solely for defense intelligence, the SIS is believed to conduct intelligence gathering operations in foreign countries of importance to Croatia.[1][3] The Department of International Military Co-operation is an intelligence and information service that collects data through official diplomatic and military contacts not through covert operations. The department also collects intelligence through official contacts through military envoys and attaches of the Republic overseas. Such intelligence is passed to the minister of defense, however, the department is not tasked with covert intelligence collections activities of any kind.[1]
The Obavestajna Sluzba Hrvatske Vojska (OSHV) is the intelligence arm of the Croatian Army, but it is the main intelligence for all three military services. The OSHV conducts human intelligence operations, especially from the Balkan region, but also maintains departments responsible for imaging intelligence, reconnaissance. The Croatian Air Force maintains squadrons of MiG-21 Fishbeds, which also provide the Air Force with capabilities for maintaining radar and imagery intelligence, electronic warfare and countermeasures as well as signals intelligence.[1] The Croatian Navy also maintains units performing reconnaissance, communications and signals intelligence tasks.[2]
[edit] Foreign intelligence
The Hrvatska Izvestajna Sluzb (Croatian Intelligence Service) is the country's main foreign intelligence and analysis agency; it is the only agency authorized to conduct operations abroad, and is permitted to co-operate with the agencies of friendly nations.[1] The HIS also conducts daily intelligence briefings for the President and high-ranking ministers.[1][2] The Nacionalna Sredisnjica Elektronickog Izvidanja (National Service for Electronic Monitoring) is operationally linked to the Army's Central Signals Intelligence Service and provides both internal and external signals intelligence. The NSEI is directly responsible to the Director of the UNS and the Joint National Security Committee.[1]
[edit] Appellate services
The Stozer Osiguranja (Security Headquarters) is responsible for the protection of high-ranking government officials, politicians and the security of Croatia's government installations such as the parliament, ministries and presidential offices. The Nadzorna Sluzba (Control and Supervision Service) maintains the security of the installations, offices and employees of Croatia's intelligence agencies. The Obavestajna Akademija (Intelligence Academy) is the premier training institution for intelligence professionals. The Obavestajna Bezbednostna Sluzba (Security Intelligence Service) was formed initially to sabotage the leading institutions of the Serb-dominated Former Republic of Yugoslavia and now serves to promote propaganda amongst the expatriate Croatian communities and continue vigilance on nations that constituted the former Yugoslavia.[1][2]
